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Saturday, 23 June 2012

Caviar To Savour

It’s here – perhaps the most widely anticipated Saturday of Royal Ascot ever. Black Caviar, the highest-rated filly in the world, behind only Frankel on ratings, runs in the Group 1 6f Diamond Jubilee Stakes, the third race on today’s card.

It is going to be such a treat to see the great filly run as she aims to make it an amazing 22 wins from 22 starts and there is no reason at all to think that the speed she has produced to such devastating effect in Australia cannot be reproduced here.

With 1,000s of Australian supporters expected to be here to cheer her home, the atmosphere will be electric in the run-up to the race.

Opposition? Well, they are hard to find, but Krypton Factor produced a Group 1 win in Dubai in the spring, proving that he has true international-class ability. He had valid excuses for defeat last time in Singapore and looks a nice price, albeit that his recent form has been on a tapeta surface.

The French-trained Moonlight Cloud would have finished second to Deacon Blues in the Champions Sprint Stakes here at the Champions meeting last October but for trouble in running. Owned by yesterday’s winning owner George Strawbridge, she put in an impressive performance at the beginning of the month on her seasonal debut when winning the Prix du Palais-Royal (G3) over 7f.

Last year’s winner Society Rock is back again after a fitting outing at York over 6f. He always goes well at Ascot, but looks outclassed here today